PROSPECTUS 


OF THE 



WITH A 


REPORT 


UPON THE 


COMPANY’S MINES, UNION CO., 


TENNESSEE, 

BY 

WILLIAM P. BLAKE, 

GEOLOGIST AND MINING ENGINEER 



I 


I 




1860. 


I 































PROSPECTUS 


OF THE 


SOUTHERN ZINC COMPANY, 


WITH A 


REPORT 


UPON THE 

COMPAFf S MINES, UNION CO., 

TENNESSEE, 


BY 


WILLIAAI P.^BLAKE, 

GEOLOGIST AND MINING ENGINEER 


> 

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} > 

) « > 



- 4 ^ 




1860. 





T5V\ 









THE SOUTHERN ZINC COMPANY. 


Capital $750,000—150,000 Shares of $5 Each. 




This Companj possesses in fee simple tlie most extensive and 
valuable Zinc Mines whiclihave been discovered in the United 
States, or which are known to exist anywhere. They are sit¬ 
uated in Union County, East Tennessee, immediately on the 
left bank of the Powell River, a tributary of the Tennessee 
River, 135 miles above Chattanooga, to which there is good 
boat navigation. 

The ores of these mines are of that kind which, from their 
chemical nature, are considered the best for the manufacture 
of Spelter and White Oxyd of Zinc. They are Calamine, or 
the Carbonate of Zinc, and of remarkable purity and richness. 
Fair samples sent to Europe have been pronounced superior to 
any zinc ore ever seen there, and a strong desire has been ex¬ 
pressed to obtain them for manufacture in Belgium, France 
and England. Prof. Chas. T. Jackson gives the following 
analysis of two samples submitted to him : 

NO. 1.—COMPACT CALAMINE. 

Oxyd of Zinc, . . . 62.18 

Carbonic Acid, . . 34.00 

Protoxyd of Iron, . . 90 

Insoluble Silica, . . 2.60 

Carbonate of Lime, . 32 


100.00—Metallic Zinc, 50.156. 




4 


NO. 2.—COMPACT AND BOTRYOIDAL CALAMINE. 

Oxyd of Zinc, . . . 61.18 

Carbonic Acid, . . 35.20 

Protoxyd of Iron, . . 1.62 

Silica,. 1.20 

Carbonate of Lime,. . 80 

100.00—Metallic Zinc, 49.Y45. 

The quantity of ore which may be said to be ‘‘ in sight ” and 
above water level, in one locality alone, is enormous, and the 
mine may be fairly considered quite inexhaustible for ages, for 
the largest operations. For a full description of the property, 
reference is had to the accompanying report of Wrn. P. 
Blake, Esq., Geologist and Mining Engineer, and to extracts 
from the letters of Mr. Lemuel Sisson, and Mr. Macdaniel, who 
have visited the mines. 

The cost of mining will be very trifling, as the ores out-crop 
in a vein of such magnitude and elevation that it can be 
worked in the open air” as simply and cheaply as a quarry in 
rock, without any of the ordinary expense of vein mining for 
a long time to come. It wdll not exceed fifty cents per ton. 

The Company may adopt two modes of operating profitably. 
It can erect furnaces and convert its ores into Spelter and 
White Oxyd of Zinc, or ship them to Europe, where the de¬ 
mand is very groat at a price that will pay handsomely. 

For manufacturing purposes the position of the mines is very 
favorable. Within twenty miles the ore may be placed by 
river navagation alongside of the finest bituminous coal in the 
world, which, taken immediately from the coal-banks in the 
Cumberland mountains, would cost less than ($1) one dollar 
per ton. From this point the Spelter and White Oxyd of Zinc 
can be sent to Chattanooga by water, and thence distributed 
over all parts of the South and the Western country by rail¬ 
roads, or sent to Savannah and Charleston for shipment to the 
E’orth. Works for reducing the ores may be advantageously 
located at Chattanooga, the centre of railroad communication 



in the south-west, where coal and provisions are cheap and a 
manufacturing population is concentrating. 

The cost of mining, calcining and boating the ores from the 
mines to Chattanooga, will not exceed three dollars per ton ; 
and from this point they can be boated to New Orleans for 
less than seven dollars ($7) per ton, making a total cost de¬ 
livered at that point of not more than ten dollars ($10) per ton. 
Or if put on the railroad at Chattanooga, the ores can be sent 
to Charleston or Savannah for nine dollars ($9) per ton. From 
any of these great cotton marts the ore will always readily find 
cheap freightage to Havre, Antwerp, or Liverpool, as ballast. 
A safe average cost of shipment and freight to Europe raa}' be 
put at five dollars ($5) per ton, making a total cost of laying 
down the ore in a foreign market, at fifteen ($15) dollars to 
seventeen ($17) dollars per ton. 

By a simple process of roasting these ores, they may be 
deprived of the greater part of their carbonic acid, and thus 
be reduced to an oxyd of 60 to 80 per cent.—worth at the pres¬ 
ent value of Zinc ores in Europe, from $35 to $45 per ton 
there. The ores of Europe do not commonly yield more than 
25 to 30 per cent, metal, and they are worth $20 to $25 per 
ton ; and their value is rated on the percentage of the metal. 

Tlius it will be seen that there is a large margin for profit 
on sales of the ore in Europe, and the quantity which would 
be taken has hardly any limit. Allowing for all contingencies, 
it would be safe to assume an average profit of $25 to $30 per 
ton on the ore shipped to Europe, but say $20 per ton on a 
shipment of 5,000 tons per annum, the net profit to the Com¬ 
pany would be $100,000. 

The advantage of manufacturing Spelter in Tennessee at 
some point convenient to the mines, like Chattanooga, is strik¬ 
ingly obvious by a simple comparison of the cost of the ore, 
there and in Europe. At this place it will not exceed three 
dollars ($3) per ton, or say $6 for two tons of calcined ore to 
produce one ton of Spelter. In Europe the cost of the ore to 
produce one ton of Spelter is not less than $60 per ton, making a 
difierence of over $50 per ton in the prime cost of raw material 
for manufacture, which, of itself, is a profit quite sufficient to 


6 


justify the establishment of the business by this Company. 
The reduction of ores producing 2,000 tons of Sj)elter pei 
annum would return the Company over $100,000 net profit. 
Besides the manufacture of Spelter, the White Oxyd of Zinc 
can be produced from this ore for less than $1.50 per hun¬ 
dred pounds, or $30 per ton, and it would find a large market 
in the South and West, and may be sent to the l^orth and all 
parts of the w^orld from Charleston or Savannah at a profit 
of not less than $50 per ton, at current market prices. 


LETTER OF 0. MACDANIEL, ESQ. 


Acworth, Ga., February 11th, 1860. 
S. Smith, Esq., FTew York. 

Dear Sir :—Answering your request to state what I know 
about the Zinc Mine in the bend of Powell River, E. T., I beg 
to say that I visited the locality twice for the purpose of exam¬ 
ination last winter, and was so well satisfied with the prospect 
of mining and shipping the ore to Europe advantageously, 
that I would then gladly have taken the mine with parties in¬ 
terested with me in the enterprise in k^ew York, and was 
prevented only because the matter could not be arranged by 
you to dispose of it and give me possession. 

There is no question of the great extent and abundance of 
the ore, and the great facility presented for mining and ship- 
]3ing it on Powell River cheaply. For quality, it is prob¬ 
ably the best and purest ore ever found in this or any country, 
as samples of it were sent to Paris and Havre by my friends, 
and it was reported as being far superior to any zinc ore they 
had ever seen there—excelling that of Belgium, Silesia, Spain, 
and Sweden, from all of which points the ores now manufac¬ 
tured in Belgium are drawn. It was also examined and re¬ 
ported on in the same terms in England. 

Yery truly, 

0, MACDANIEL. 



LETTER OF LEMUEL SISSON, Esq. 


Knoxville, Feb. 15th, 1859. 

Dear Sir : 

I have just returned from your Zinc Mine on 
Powell’s Eiver. It is situated about one-half mile from the 
river. From the bank of a small stream that empties into the 
river, the ground rises at first quite steep, then extends in a 
level plain some little distance, then again rises until it attains 
an elevation of near two hundred feet; from this highest point 
the ground gradually descends in all directions. 

The ore first crops out on the first elevation, where some 
shafts have been sunk in former times, but the great out-crop 
is on the top of the highest elevation, where it manifests itself 
in immense solid masses of ore several rods in extent, which, 
from the particular situation, can be mined at the least possi¬ 
ble expense, and owing to the descending grade, it offers the 
greatest facilities for transporting to the river. 

In estimating the quantity of ore above water level, I think 
it is only to be estimated by the hundreds of thousands of tons. 

As to getting the ore to Kailroad communications, boats can 
be obtained at $1.00 per ton burthen. The usual time is five 
days to Chatanooga. The boats at that point command a 
greater price than first cost, so the only expense is the labor of 
navigating the boats. 

The mine is situated in a district of country where provision, 
lumber, labor, and all the requirements of successful mining 
operations can be obtained in abundance and at cheap rates. 

I estimate the cost of mining, calcining and delivering 
aboard boats at the river, at $1.50 per ton; of delivering at 
Chattanooga, $1.00 per ton; from thence to Charleston or 
Savannah, by rail, at $8.00 per ton. 

In conclusion, I can only say, that the richness of the ore 
and the particularly favorable situation of it, render it one of 
the most valuable mines in the country. 

Yours Kcspectfully, 

LEMUEL SISSON. 


S. Smith, Esq. 



REPORT 

UPON THE 

ZINC VEINS IN UNION COUNTY, TENNESSEE. 


BELONGING TO THE 


SOUTHERN ZINC COMPANY, 


BY WILLIAM P. BLAKE 

GEOLOGIST AND MIXING ENGINEER. 


186 0 . 




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REPORT. 




Samuel SMrra, Esq., IN’ew Yoke : 

Sir :—Having at 3 ^our request visited and examined the 
locality of Zinc ore upon Powell river, Tennessee, I take pleas¬ 
ure in presenting the following Report: 

This locality is about thirty-five miles north of Knoxville, 
ten miles from the town of Maynardsville, and is generally 
known as Bald Hills It is so known from the fact that when 
the country was first settled, a broad space extending over the 
top of the ridge was without trees, while the unbroken forest 
extended on either side. This bare space has a general east 
and west direction, and is about a thousand feet in length. 
Shafts and prospecting pits have been dug in many places in 
search of “ mineral,-’ which the absence of trees, and the pe¬ 
culiar dark color of the soil was supposed to indicate. Many 
of these pits are very old, and it is not known by whom they 
were dug. They have caved in, and are nearly obliterated, 
but there is a large quantity of zinc ore—the carbonate—in 
the soil and piles of earth around. In the more modern open¬ 
ings, and at various points upon this barren area, carbonate of 
zinc outcrops in large masses. It has a light drab or fawn 
color, and occurs not only porous and open in texture, but in 
large compact masses, very solid and even-grained, difficult to 
distinguish from the compact fawn-colored limestone. These 
outcrops in some places formerly stood up two feet or more 
above the soil in thick slabs, like curbstones, but these are now 
broken off, most of them having been removed to the river 
bank for shipment. 

After taking a general view of the hill, and the various ex¬ 
posures of the zinc ore, I extended my observations to the lo¬ 
cality of zinc ore on the Russell farm, about three-eighths of a 
mile distant, and obtained a knowledge of the geological char¬ 
acter of the region. 

Massive limestone, in beds attaining an aggregate thickness 
of several hundred feet, is the rock of the country. It is well 




12 


exposed along Powell river, and in the valley leading to it. 
The lo’wer beds are very compact, and in places afford very 
beautiful dove and fawn-colored marble, deeply veined with 
brown. The prevailing dip of the strata is to the northeast, 
(N. 60°—70° east in one place,) at an angle of 15° to 20°. 
The upper members of this series of limestone strata present a 
black and very rough surface, produced by unequal w'eather- 
ing. When struck or broken, a powerful fetid odor is emitted, 
and in places the rock is sandy. It is in this rock that w’e find 
the zinc ore on the Pussell farm. 

On returning to Bald Hill another opening in "which zinc ore 
is found was pointed out to me, about three hundred yards 
further west, near the road and blacksmith shop. This open¬ 
ing is much lower than those on Bald Hill. Here, also, the 
forest trees did not grow for a space several rods in length. 

THE VEINS—THEIR CHARACTER AND EXTENT. 

It is evident at all of the openings that the zinc ore occurs 
in veins cutting across the strata and notin beds lying between 
or parallel "with them, though it is possible that such beds wfill 
be found wdien deep excavations are made. These veins are 
nearly vertical, and their direction upon Bald Hill appears to 
be about east and west, or 95° east of north. It is evident also 
that there are numerous parallel veins of different wfidths 
separated by limestone. They appear to be very similar to 
the vertical crevices or gash veins of the Mississippi lead re¬ 
gion ; the ore being without any gangue or veinstone, and 
completely filling the space between the walls. 

The extent of these veins in length and breadth upon or near 
the surface, is indicated in a general "way by the absence of 
forest trees, and by the peculiar blackness of the soil. The 
outcrops, however, and the developments made by the shafts 
show with certainty that the ore is spread over a great breadth, 
"W’hile at several places the indications are enough to "v^arrant 
the expectation of finding the ore at almost any point "svithin 
the "vfidth of from sixty to eighty feet. As already stated, the 
ore is probably in a great number of separate veins, lying 
parallel, and divided by thin layers or seams of limestone. 
Extended operations in mining or excavating on the surface 
are required to develop the true character and extent of the 
veins throughout. For the general position and relations of 
the several outcrops and exploring shafts, reference may be 
made to the accompanying Sketch Map of the hill. 

In the lower opening—the open cut at the east end of the 


f 


13 


liill—the breadth of one of the veins of ore appears to be about 
five feet, and I here dug out some very handsome specimens of 
zinc ore of the best quality. 

The principal shaft upon the property, is that dug by Mr. 
Tint, sixty years ago, thirty feet deep, which was cleared out 
by^ Messrs. Hammond in 1835-6 to the depth of 55 feet. 
This Avas done in search of lead ore, of which a considerable 
quantity was obtained and smelted in a rude furnace at the 
river. 

The ore was also believed to be rich in silver. A tunnel ten 
or twelve feet in length is said to haA"e been driven on the 
course of the lead ore from the bottom of this shaft. Zinc ore 
was found in quantity from the top to the bottom of the shaft, 
and the earth which was thrown out is charged with fi’agments 
of calamine. Two or three old shafts on the same line, all of 
which are now caved in, are believed to have been made in 
search of lead ore. In the prolongation of this line of shafts, 
outcrops of limestone are found, but beyond, on the top of the 
hill, and in nearly the same line, a cross-cut of a few feet in 
depth exposes a vertical bar of calamine Avith a thin layer of 
lead ore on one side. Wherever the lead ore AA^as observed at 
the openings it was in a thin layer an inch or less in thickness. 
A shaft sunk by Major Hurst, at the lower end of the open 
cut, is thirty-seven feet in depth, and exposed a considerable 
quantity of zinc ore, though limestone, only, is found at the 
bottom. This is probably at one side of the main bed of zinc. 
The vertical section of the hill, Avhich is appended, is designed 
to shoAv Avhat is believed to be the general character of the 
zinc deposits at that locality. 

In judging of the probable amount of ore, Ave should re¬ 
member that the openings thus far have not been made Avith 
direct reference to the exhibition of the zinc ore, yet enough 
is seen to Avarrant preparations for mining on a large scale, or 
the establishment of Avorks for the manufacture of the metal 
or its oxyd. We should also take into account the fact that 
calamine exists at the Hammond and Steiner shaft, a hundred 
feet or more below Bald Hill. This shaft was sunk by Ham¬ 
mond and Steiner for lead ore, a layer of which is still visible 
in the side of the shaft, together with a thick mass of calamine. 
It is most probable that this vein is a continuation of the Bald 
Hill group of veins, and that the ore Avill be found to be con¬ 
tinuous betAveen the two places. It does not shoAv, ho av ever, 
upon the surface, but may be found by sinking prospecting 
pits, especially in the little valley or depression betAveen the 
tAvo hills. This evidence of the great extension of the veins 


14 


is important and taken in connection with the fact that the ore 
occnrs at another point—Russel’s farm—in the upper beds of 
the series it appears almost certain that the zinc veins have an 
extended vertical range through the limestone strata, and that 
the ore at Bald Hill extends downwards as low as that in the 
Hammond and Steiner shaft at least. On this point—as to 
the quantity of ore—there need be no hesitation. A pile of 
over twenty tons, by estimate, now lies on the river-bank for 
shipment, which was collected from the surface, and in the 
open cut in a short time. Many of the masses weigh sev¬ 
eral hundred pounds, and are nearly two feet in length and 
breadth. 


QUALITY OF THE ORE. 

The ore on the river bank, collected from different points, 
afforded me an excellent opportunity for ascertaining its gene¬ 
ral character. 

It is the best quality of Sinitlisonite^ Calamine,” or Carbon¬ 
ate of Zinc, which, next to the oxyd, is the purest and best 
ore of zinc to work for the metal, or for the manufacture of 
white oxyd for paint. When pure, it has the following com¬ 
position in 100 parts: 

Carbonic acid, 35.19, 

Oxyd of zinc, 64.81. 

It is named in honor of Smithson, the founder of the Smitli- 
sonion Institution, who early examined this species, and ana¬ 
lyzed samples from Somersetshire and Derbyshire, England, 
finding a composition nearly agreeing with the above. The 
analyses of samples from various European localities show a 
variation from 74 to 96 per cent, of pure carbonate present, 
the impurities consisting of clay and other carbonates. 

The Bald Hill ore is remarkably pure, and when cleansed 
from adhering clay and oxyd of iron will probably average 
from 80 to 90 per cent, of carbonate, or from 64 to 7t3 per cent, 
of metal. 

The ore on the bank will probably yield over 80 per cent, 
carbonate. Some of the ore bears but little resemblance to the 
usual form of the carbonate, being very compact and massive, 
and like the limestone or marble in fracture or color. Some 
samples taken from such blocks, and from outcrops of similar 
ore on the hill were proved to consist almost entirely of carbon¬ 
ate of zinc, when examined before the blowpipe. There ap¬ 
pears to be a large amount of ore of this quality, and it would 


15 


generally be mistaken for limestone, unless lifted in masses, 
when its great weight would at once indicate its metalliferous 
character. 

The open, cavernous specimens are formed of thin crusts or 
layers of the carbonate; the surfaces of which, are finely 
mamillary and occasionally sub-crystalline; they are white, 
bluish-white, and yellowish in color; translucent, and some¬ 
times opaque. They usually cover or inclose portions of ochre 
or peroxyd of iron, and are formed also upon masses of 
galena, which becomes visible on breaking the specimen. 

The ore, as it comes from the mine, will probably be more 
or less charged in the cavities with ochery earth and oxyd of 
iron, the greater part of which may be removed by washing or 
long exposure to the weather. The ore on the river bank 
is nearly free from such impurities, while the masses of simi¬ 
lar ore that I broke out from the vein were not. 

The specific gravity of pure Smithsonite varies from 4. to 
4.45, being over four times as heavy as an equal bulk of water. 
The lead ore, galena, will be an important product when the 
mine is extensively worked for the zinc ore, from which the 
lead can be readily separated by hand-sorting, so that it will 
not interfere with the successful manufacture of spelter or the 
white oxyd of zinc for paint. 

There are no indications of the existence of blende—the sul- 
phuret of zinc—at the locality, but it will doubtless be found 
when the mine is deeply worked. We may regard the carbon¬ 
ate as the result of the decomposition of blende, and this 
chemical change may account for the absence of trees along 
the vein. The decomposition has probably reached a great 
depth, as the open spaces of the limestone and vein allow the 
water to drain off and give access to the air, by which, with 
the moisture, the change is effected. Zinc-blende, with galena, 
occurs at a localitv several miles distant, in a thin vein in lime- 
stone, near or at the water-level of the river, where it is 
probably kept wet the greater part of the time. 

It is interesting to observe that the ores used by the celebra¬ 
ted establishments in Belgium—the Nouvelle and the Yieille 
Montague —are similar to those of Bald-Hill, and further, that 
veins or bunches of galena are found in connection with them, 
and that the localities were formerly worked for the lead alone. 
The formation in which the ores occur, are dolomitic Silurian 
limestones, and Burat, the eminent French Mining Engineer, 
has suggested that the ore was deposited from below, along the 


16 


walls of ancient metalliferous solfataras.* According to the 
same authority, at a later date ,—Mineraiix Utiles^ 1855—the 
value in zinc and metal, of the ores of the Vieille Montague 
opening, after simple sorting, is about 35 per cent., which cor¬ 
responds to about 43 of oxyd, or 65 of carbonate. 

At Engis, the ores, after being selected and washed to re¬ 
move the clay, contain about 25 per cent, of metal, while at 
many points in the mines the zinc ores are nearly replaced by 
the oxyd of iron. These ores, and those at Stolberg and Cor- 
phalie, often contain sulphurets, such as galena, blende, and 
iron 23yrites. 

It will thus be seen that the Bald Hill ore is fully equal, if 
not superior, in quality, to those used by the celebrated zinc 
establishments abroad. Its per centage value in zinc ma}^ 
however, be greatly increased by simple calcination at the 
mine, before it is packed for shipment. The calcination may 
be chea^^ly effected, and would drive off the moisture and 
nearly all of the carbonic acid, thus bringing the ore into the 
condition of an oxyd, and lessening its weight about thirty 
per cent, of the weight of carbonate present. Thus, if the ore 
contains eighty per cent, of Smithsonite, simple calcination 
should reduce the weight of one hundred pounds to seventy- 
six. 

Without calcination the ore is firm enough to bear handling 
without loss, but if calcined it will require to be barreled, as 
it crumbles to powder very easily after being heated. The 
expense of barrels will be more than balanced % the increased 
convenience and economy in handling and shipment. Timber 
being abundant and labor cheap, barrels may be made at a 
small cost, and will sell to advantage after the delivery of the 
ore. 

I have been furnished, through an agent for the purchase 
of zinc ores, with a general scale of prices of zinc ores de¬ 
livered at Antwerp, and with a tabulated statement of the 
values of zinc ores in England, the Antwerp values being 
taken as the standard, and allowance being made for the dif¬ 
ference of exchange. The latter statement is presented in the 
following table, the value being given in English currency 
and in dollars and cents. As carbonates of zinc will not yield 
as high as seventy per cent, of metal, it is assumed that cal¬ 
cined ore is referred to. 


* Etudes sur les gites calaminaires et sur V industrie du Zinc en Belgique^ Par 
Amedee Bur at ^ Paris, 1846. 



17 


General Scale of Prices of Calcined Zinc Ores in England. 


When Zinc is selling at 
£20 “ 16 “ 8 per Ton. 

When Zinc is selling at 
£22 “ 18 “ 4 per Ton. 

When Zinc 

£25 “ 0 “ 

is selling at 

0 per Ton. 






<4-4 





<4-1 





O 

Value of 1 Ton 


Value of 1 Ton 

O 


Value of 1 Ton 

c 5 



of 


"a 



of 


(3 d 



of 



Calcined Zinc Ore. 

^ S 

Calcined Zinc Ore. 


Calcined Zinc Ore. 

Pi 





Pi 





Pi 






£ 

s 

d 

$ 


£ 

s 

d 

$ 


£ 

s 

d 

$ 

40 

3 

6 

8 

16.13| 

40 

8 

18 

9 

I9.05f 

40 

4 

10 

10 

21.981 

45 

4 

5 

5 

21.67 

45 

4 

19 

7 

24.091 

45 

5 

1 o 

9 

27.52| 

50 

5 

4 

2 

25.20^ 

50 

6 

0 

5 

29.14 

50 

6 

16 

8 

33.071 

55 

6 

2 

11 

29.74| 

55 

7 

1 

3 

00 

CO 

55 

7 

19 

h 

‘ 

38.621 

60 

7 

1 

8 

34.28^ 

60 

8 

2 

1 

39.22f 

60 

9 

2 

6 

44.161 

65 

8 

0 

5 

38 82 

65 

9 

2 

11 

44.261: 

65 

10 

5 

5 

49.71 

70 

8 

19 

2 

43 351 

70 

10 

3 

9 

49.30f' 

70 

11 

8 

4 

55.25| 


FACILITIES FOR MINING, TRANSPORTATION AND MANUFACTURE, 

The ore at Bald Hill is remarkably well situated for rapid 
and cheap mining, extending as it does over the top of a hill, 
or ridge, transversely, so that it may be reached at each end of 
the outcrop by open cuts or horizontal galleries. The manner 
in which the locality should be worked will, however, depend 
upon the character of the veins, which is not yet so fully ex¬ 
posed as to authorize the adoption of a plan. It is probable, 
however, that the open cut or quarry will, for the present, be 
the most economical and expeditious way of procuring ore. 
The excavation should be commenced on the west end, below 
the cross cut, and be extended backwards into the hill with a 
slight grade upwards so as to obtain as high a face or breast of 
ore as possible. 

The slight exposures in depth of the ore did not afford me 
data for determining the dip satisfactorily; it appeared to be 
nearly vertical, but deep excavations may show a decided and 
uniform inclination of several degrees. It is quite possible, 
also, that the ore is not confined to veins cutting the strata 
alone, but that it is in beds between them, following their in¬ 
clination or dip, though there is nothing on the surface outcrops 
to warrant this conclusion. I recommend the expenditure of 
a small sum in prospecting at either end of the hill by cross 
cuts or trial pits, before the method of mining is determined 

upon. 11.1 

At the lower opening—the shaft near the road—there is also 

an opportunity for obtaining backs of ore by stopeing from 




















































18 


horizontal galleries which may be run in at the foot of the hill 
or slope on which the shaft is dug. The vertical extension of 
the ore to the top of the hill, above the shaft, has not yet been 
shown by openings. 

Whatever the system or plan of mining may be, the ground 
will be found, comparatively soft and easy to break. The ore 
itself may be broken down with pick and bar without the use 
of powder. 

As regards transportation, the ore is well situated, being 
about a quarter of a mile from the bank of Powell River. This 
is a large stream, which empties into the Clinch River, a few 
miles below, and this last into the Tennessee, by which there 
is water communication to Chattanooga, Tennessee, Huntsville, 
Alabama, and, by way of the Mississippi, to Hew Orleans. 
Powell River is navigable for flat-boats, in which the ore must 
be shipped, but it is necessary to take advantage of the annual 
floods or freshets which occur frequently during the winter. 
Boats are frequently freighted with lumber from points above 
the zinc mine. The boats should not carry over eighty tons, 
and they can be built for about a dollar afoot, or eighty dollars 
for one that would carry eighty tons. Such boats, it is said, 
would bring their cost or more at the points where the ore 
wmuld be delivered. From the mine to the river-side there is 
a good road, with a descending grade, and the distance is about 
a quarter of a mile. At Chattanooga the ore would meet the 
railroad and coal, and could either be taken direct to Charles¬ 
ton or Savannah by rail or be manufactured there, If it were 
thought desirable to establish works at the mine, an abundance 
of wood or charcoal can be obtained at small cost, and good 
bituminous mineral coal is within twenty miles of the mine. 

The Mossy Creek zinc locality, I am informed, is two and a 
half miles from the Holston River, so that the cost of deliver¬ 
ing ore from that locality would be much greater than from 
Bald Hill. 

The successful manufacture of Oxyd of Zinc for paints, is 
now established at three or more points on the Atlantic sea¬ 
board, and the demand for it rapidly increases as the public 
becomes convinced of the superiority of the paint over lead 
and barytes. The process of manufacture is extremely simple, 
and requires less expense and labor than the production of the 
metal. The ore chiefly used is the mixture of red oxyd of 
zinc, silicate of zinc, and the iron ore called Franklinite, 
which itself contains about 25 per cent, of oxyd of zinc. At 
Bethlehem, Pa., the electric Calamine—a silicate of zinc oxyd— 
is largely used, and the metal is made from it. 


19 


The ores first mentioned are obtained in Sussex County, 
New Jersey, where they occur in thick beds, between strata 
of white crystalline limestone, supposed to be metamorphosed 
Lower Silurian. These beds of ore are in great plicated folds, 
as I have determined after extended examinations in detail; 
and they have already been worked to a depth of three or 
four hundred feet without any special change in the character 
or quantity of the ore. It is a very hard ore, and is daily 
becoming more expensive to mine. It requires to be trans¬ 
ported nine miles in wagons, to the Morris Canal, by which it 
is taken to Newark, to the works of the New Jersev Zinc 
Company, and to the establishment of the Passaic Zinc Com¬ 
pany, at Jersey City, opposite New York. Both of these 
large establishments are in full operation, producing several 
thousand tons of white oxyd of zinc, every year. The ore, as 
delivered there, is in hard blocks, and requires heavy ma¬ 
chinery and stamps for crushing it to powder, preparatory to 
its being mingled with fine coal and ignition in furnaces, 
where the oxyd is produced. The ore, as already observed, 
contains a large amount of iron, and its percentage in zinc is 
further diminished bv carbonate of lime, and silex in com- 
bination with the zinc. Its average yield, in working, is about 
thirty per cent, of oxyd, a portion being unavoidably retained 
in the ferruginous residue and the slag. 

Compared with the New Jersey ore, the carbonate from 
Bald Hill has the following advantages for the manufacture 
of zinc oxyd or the metal: First, greater per centage of zinc 
oxyd; second, freedom from a large proportion of iron oxyd 
and silex; third, ease with which it may be reduced to pow¬ 
der after being calcined ; fourth, cheapness of mining and 
transportation. 

It is also a richer ore than that used at Bethlehem, which 
contains about 25 per cent, of silex, and consequently cannot 
be concentrated by calcination like the carbonate, and is more 
difficult to work in the furnaces. Notwithstanding these 
difficulties, however, the mauufacture of the metal and the 
oxyd has been entirely successful, the latter being the most 
profitable product. The metal made was superior to any in 
the market, and has been much sought for on account of its 
purity. 

Yery respectfully, your obedient servant, 

WM. P. BLAKE, 


New Haven, May 6, 1860. 






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